We are happy to present the Arabic Bible (Smith and Van Dyke) as a download for Accordance. Although of interest to a minority of our users we trust it will prove useful to those who study Arabic or work amongst Arabic speakers. It also indicates our committment to expand the available languages to more non-Roman fonts.

This translation is the popular Van Dyck Version, started in 1847 by Eli Smith and completed by Cornelius Van Allen Van Dyck in Beirut. The New Testament was completed in 1860 and the Old Testament in 1865. It has been widely distributed and accepted by both the Coptic and Protestant churches. The translation was based the Textus Receptus, and follows a literal style of translation into classical Arabic.

Hi Helen, if I was interested in seeing another Arabic bible (newer translation) offered in accordance, what would I need to get re. electronic texts and licensing? I'm in contact with someone who was involved in the translation and publishing of the translation but I wanted to ask you guys first what is needed.

As of yet, I do not have much knowledge of Arabic, but I am planning to learn Arabic for a course that I will be taking next year. I am thinking of purchasing the Arabic Bible module to help me with my classical Arabic studies. But before I purchase the module, I just want to make sure that this is classical Arabic, and not any variety of modern Arabic. Is this the case?

May I add the following here also Helen? If it is not appropriate, please feel free to delete.

If I may interrupt the flow of the topic somewhat; this contribution is just another example of the many, many 'ordinary' ways, and here extraordinary ways, which Accordance members (and of course others too) go to to help so many others. I cannot even begin to imagine how much time and work must have gone into this project. I often think of the words of Psalm 8 in such situations and, if I may add, I would like to recite this Psalm in thanksgiving and as a little prayer for all those who are working in whatever way to bring the Scriptures from one end of the world to the next!

Since Arabic is a cognate language to Hebrew, the Arabic translation is significant. I recall using it (with help of a friend who knew Arabic) to support a theory I was entertaining on the morphology of bshgm (b+sh+gam vs. b+shag+am = "in that also" vs. "in their sinning") in Genesis 6:3. Upgrading the module could enable those who know little or no Arabic to use the module.

I might also add that the concept of "those who know Arabic" [vs those who don't know Arabic] is interesting in its binary nature. Wouldn't you rather speak of knowing Arabic on a scale of 0-10? With regard to the parsing for Greek words, there are those who know some Greek, but not all the forms, thus they are helped by Instant Details. I would think that the same would be true for those who know some Arabic.